Deepthi Welaratna is a writer, strategist, and creative director working at the intersection of democracy, entrepreneurship, media, culture, and design. With over 25 years of experience, she specializes in translating complex ideas into successful ventures, clear strategies, and resonant public-facing work.

As the founder of Tiny Little Cosmos, Deepthi partners with artists, public institutions, and mission-driven organizations to sharpen their positioning and strengthen audience engagement. Her approach blends systems thinking with cultural fluency; she moves easily between high-level strategy and hands-on production, whether facilitating executive planning sprints, revising a business plan, or designing rollouts for independent creators.

Previously, she was the Founder and CEO of civic tech startup Thicket Labs, which served communities around the world through collaborative learning, decision making, and innovation programs in areas including healthcare, education, and governance.

Deepthi Welaratna has spent the last 25 years building and launching new campaigns, products and services at venture-backed startups, creative agencies, and market research firms, often in the early days of a new industry or issue. She worked on startup teams in the early days of podcasting and online food delivery, and her work to educate the public about the diamond industry made its way into the Wikipedia entry on conflict diamonds. Other memorable experiences include helping launch California’s first statewide down-ballot progressive voter guide in 2020, documenting the first hackathon held in Haiti, and live tweeting a former president to an audience of millions. Today, she is building a practice supporting the development of new shared ownership models including the SoLA Food Cooperative in Los Angeles and a shared ownership neighborhood development company in New Jersey.

Deepthi also releases music as a solo artist under the name Dark Spring Thunder and is one half of Society of the Wing and Scale along with Disparition. Her sound and video design work for live performance has been shown at venues in the SF Bay Area and NYC. She recently completed her first novel and is currently seeking representation.

Her work has been written about in USA Today, Fast Company, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. She has written for numerous publications and media outlets including San Francisco's KQED Public Media, Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Third Coast Audio Festival, and the International Documentary Association. Featured speaking and facilitation engagements include AIGA, SXSW Interactive, Parsons School of Design, Magnum Foundation, and the National Academy of Medicine.

Deepthi holds an M.A. in Media Studies from The New School, a B.A. in English from San Jose State University, and certificates in finance and accounting, data analysis and management, and teaching English. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce (RSA) and a member of the International Association of Facilitators.

Deepthi was born in England, raised in Silicon Valley, has lived in Paris and New York, and her family is from Sri Lanka. She speaks English fluently, French carefully, and Sinhalese colloquially. She currently makes her home in Los Angeles with her husband. Her pronouns are she/hers.